At a height of above the Earth’s surface

PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Fields and their consequences · Fields and their consequences

Problem

At a height of

100\,\text{km}

above the Earth’s surface, a scientific balloon is released. Take

R_E = 6.4 \times 10^6\,\text{m}

and

g = 9.8\,\text{m}\,\text{s}^{-2}

at the surface. (i) Calculate the value of gravitational acceleration

g_h

at the balloon’s location. (ii) Determine the depth

d

below the Earth’s surface at which the value of

g

equals the value obtained in part (i). (iii) Comment, with one supporting calculation, on whether the percentage change in

g

produced by ascending

100\,\text{km}

is the same as that produced by descending the same distance below the surface.